In the following, we share abstracts for both publications:

Competition between platform ecosystems: a longitudinal study of MOOC platforms

by H. Rothe (FU Berlin), K. Täuscher (Universität Bayreuth), and R. C. Basole (Georgia Tech)

The last decade has seen a rise in software-based platforms that engender entirely new ecosystems. In newly emerging platform markets, platforms compete for partners and customers in a rapidly changing environment. Yet, extant research mostly studies platforms' supply-side and demand-side strategies in relatively established platform markets. By combining a market-level and platform-level perspective, our research aims to develop a holistic understanding about the interdependencies between business model decisions, market evolution, and performance outcomes of platforms in emerging markets. We focus on the novel context of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms, analyzing longitudinal data for 35 MOOC platforms and their ecosystems. To account for the multi-level perspective, our research applies an innovative mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative methods with quan-titative measures and visualizations derived from network analysis. Our findings suggest that platforms in new markets converge towards common business models as market leaders imitate the business model innovations of its smaller competitors to manifest their market position. Based on these analyses, we derive four propositions on how the dynamics of a platform’s business model and ecosystem posi-tion affect each other and the platform’s market performance. 

Business-managed IT: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Illustration

by A. Kopper (TU Dresden), D. Fürstenau (FU Berlin), S. Zimmermann (BITCO3 GmbH), C. Rentrop (FH Konstanz), H. Rothe (FU Berlin), S. Strahringer (TU Dresden), and M. Westner (OTH Regensburg)

Research on Shadow IT is facing a conceptual dilemma in cases where previously “covert” systems developed by business entities (individual users, business workgroups, or business units) are integrated in the organizational IT management. These systems become visible, are therefore not “in the shadows” anymore, and subsequently do not fit to existing definitions of Shadow IT. Practice shows that some information systems share characteristics of Shadow IT, but are created openly in alignment with the IT department. This paper therefore proposes the term “Business-managed IT” to describe “overt” information systems developed or managed by business entities. We distinguish Business-managed IT from Shadow IT by illustrating case vignettes. Accordingly, our contribution is to suggest a concept and its delineation against other concepts. In this way, IS researchers interested in IT originated from or maintained by business entities can construct theories with a wider scope of application that are at the same time more specific to practical problems. In addition, value-laden terminology is complemented by a vocabulary that values potentially innovative developments by business entities more adequately. From a practical point of view, the distinction can be used to discuss the distribution of task responsibilities for information systems.